When I Met Remi Tinubu In US, She Was Reluctant To Acknowledge Christian Genocide In Nigeria Despite Evidence — Foreign Journalist, Madeleine Kearns
British journalist Madeleine Kearns, writing for The Free Press, says she met with Wife of Bola Tinubu, Remi, in the United States and found her unwilling to openly acknowledge widespread attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria, despite what Kearns describes as clear evidence of targeted violence against faithful.
Kearns, who has reported extensively on violence against Christians in parts of Nigeria, said she visited the former Lagos first lady at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C. during Mrs. Tinubu’s short trip to the U.S. Mrs. Remi said her purpose was to clarify misconceptions about Nigeria’s security situation and push back against claims that Christians are being systematically persecuted in the country.
When asked whether Bola Tinubu’s administration acknowledges that Christians are being disproportionately targeted, Mrs. Tinubu responded cautiously, saying only “to an extent” when pressed on the issue.
Kearns noted that she had seen extensive evidence including eyewitness accounts and images of attacks on Christian communities which many human rights observers say point to serious religiously linked violence in the northeast and Middle Belt regions. However, Mrs. Tinubu maintained that what Nigeria faces is complex insecurity involving terrorism and criminality, not a deliberate campaign of religious genocide.
The Nigerian government has consistently denied that a genocide against Christians is occurring, insisting that terrorism affects people of all faiths and that violence in the country should not be framed as religious persecution.
Tinubu has described such allegations as harmful and unfounded, and government officials have asked international partners to consider the broader security context in Nigeria’s ongoing fight against extremist groups.
